Widespread use of the Mosquirix vaccine produced by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline was recommended after the drug was seen to arouse a child's immune system to thwart malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum in clinical trials.
Dr Jimmy Opigo, the Programme Manager of Malaria Control in the Ministry says they plan to integrate the vaccine into the routine childhood vaccination schedule for children but are still discussing whether they should start with highly endemic areas as a pilot or roll out generally.
The World Health Organization-Regional Office for Africa WHO/AFRO announced today that Kenya, Ghana and Malawi will begin piloting the injectable vaccine on children aged five to 17 months to see whether its protective effects shown so far in clinical trials can hold up under real-life conditions.
